Brush



April 6, 1937. H. P. MCMILL'N` BRUSH Filed Jan. 16, 1956 FI G. E.

www H- F. MQ MILLA,

Patented Apr. s, 19s? UNiTE STATES PATENT erster;

'l Claims.

This invention relates to paint brushes or the like, and has for its object to provide a construction which is more simple, better adapted to the use intended, and less costly to manufacture than those heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in View the invention resides in the novel details of construction and combinations of parts as will be disclosed more fully hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specication and in which like numerals designate like parts in all the views,-

Fig. l is a vertical sectional View taken transi5 versely of a paint brush, with the upper end of the handle broken off; and

Fig. 2 is a similar View of a modified form of brush in which the principles of this linvention are involved.

Heretofore paint brushes have been made with the bristles cemented to a spacer block, with the usual metallic ferrule contacting the outer surface of the upper portions of the bristles, and fasteners such as nails driven through the sides of the ferrule intou the spacer block. This method of construction has proven inadequate in many cases not only due to the additional time and labor as well as cost incurred by using such fasteners, but the fasteners have weakened the spacer block if not actually split the same, and have a tendency to cut the bristles through which they must pass so that, after the brush has been used for a little while, bristles come out and/or the entire bristle vstructure becomes so weakened that the brush l has to be discarded. According to this invention not only are the above defects avoided but the bristles themselves are given an inclination to the vertical central plane of the brush so that the lower ends of the bristles are closely compacted forming a relatively narrow or thin brushing edge which is highly desirable to the craft.

Referring to the drawing, i indicates the lower end of the usual wooden handle, and 2 generally denotes the metallic ferrule secured in any con-- venient manner to the handle, said ferrule comprising a strip of metal formed into a flattened oval with appropriate lock and adjusted to the lower portion of the handle. 3 indicates a spacer block of wood around which the bristles are laid as is the usual custom'in brush manufacture, only the upper ends of the bristles being associated with the said block. The assembled bristles and block then have the ferrule applied thereto also in the usual manner by sli-ding it upwardly 55 over the bristles in a direction from the lower ends 4 thereof, and when the ferrule assumes the position shown in Fig. 1 with respect to the bristles, and said bristles properly set, the handle l is inserted within the ferrule and secured, but not in direct contact with the bristle assembly.

The ferrule is made with the novel shape shown for the purpose of not only provi-ding a lock for the bristle assembly but to give an inclination to the bristles as clearly shown in the drawing. This is accomplished by providing an inclined portion in the wall of the ferrule adjacent the lower edge, and providing a substantial inwardly directed shoulder at 6 at the uppervextremity of said inclined wall portion. In other words, this shoulder extends all around the ferrule and forms a seat for the upper extreme edge portion of the bristle assembly so that said assembly cannot move upwardly as seen in Fig. l beyond the said shoulder. Downward movement of the bristle assembly is prevented bythe inclined portions 5 of the ferrule creating a wedge-shaped lock, so to speak, for said assembly. rEhe inherent springiness of the metal of the ferrule also forces the bristles to assume the inclination shown, in spite of the substantially rectangular cross sectional shape of the spacer block.

The upper ends of the bristles can be either dipped in cementitious material prior to the application ofthe ferrule, or the cementitious material can be poured into the ferrule on top of the bristle assembly after the ferrule is correctly positioned, both applications of said material being well known in the art. When a rubber compound is used for such material it is vulcanized in the usual manner to set the bristles against displacement. Any cementitious material poured into the ferrule on top of the bristles and spacer block will seep down between the outermost bristles and the inner surface of the ferrule, and if desired an annularly exten-ded rib 'l may be provided adjacent the bottom edge of the f errule into which said material may enter and, upon solidication, create an additional lock for the bristle assembly.

The inclination given the bristles by this ferrule construction has afurther advantage in that it causes the lower extremities of the bristles to meet and create an interior well 'closed at its bottom for the retention of paint or the like, whereas in heretofore known constructions this well (created by the spacer block) has been more or less open at its bottom so that paint would be held only by adhesion on the bristles themselves.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the same principles of this invention are embodied, the

only difference being that a plurality of spacer blocks is employed, of relatively small cross sectional shape, and the outer layers of 'bristles inclined toward the central layer by the ferrule, thus creating two interior wells indicated at 9 to serve as reservoirs for paint. The lack of necessity for fasteners such as nails driven through the sides of the ferrule into the assembled bristles, especially with regard to brushes of small size, is emphasized in this modification, such fasteners having a far greater tendency here to split the relatively thin blocks than was the case with the thicker block shown in Fig. 1.

By this construction it will therefore be seen that a greatly improved and compact brush is created wherein the bristle assembly is secured to the ferrule through contact only with the inner surface of the ferrule, and is held rigidly against displacement either downwardly or upwardly respectively by the wedge shaped grip of the inclined portions 5 of the ferrule and the shoulders 6 thereof.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of this invention, and therefore it is not desired to be limited to the exact foregoing disclosure except as may be demanded by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a brush the combination of a handle; a tuft of bristles; and a ferrule joining said tuft to said handle, said ferrule having substantially all of the tuft engaging portion of its wall disposed in a plane inclined downwardly and inwardly with respect to the plane of the remaining wall portion of said ferrule, the upper extremity of the inclined wall portion making a substantial inwardly directed shoulder with the remainder of the ferrule wall, said shoulder engaging the upper extremity of said tuft for preventing upward movement of the tuft in the ferrule, the inclined wall portion frictionally engaging the sides of said tuft for preventing downward movement of the tuft in the ferrule, thereby obviating the necessity of tuft securing fasteners.

2. In a brush the combination of a handle; a tuft of bristles including a spacer block, the upper ends of the bristles disposed around the vertical sides of said block thereby creating a space immediately below said block devoid of bristles; and a ferrule joining said tuft to said handle, said ferrule having substantially all of the tuft engaging portion of its wall inclined downwardly and inwardly, the upper extremity of the inclined wall portion making a sharp and substantial inwardly directed shoulder with the remainder of the ferrule wall, said shoulder engaging the upper extremity of said tuft and constituting a means for preventing upward movement of the tuft in the ferrule, the inclined wall portion having an appreciable slope and frictionally engaging the sides of said tuft thereby constituting a means for forcing the bristles inwardly and downwardly to meet at their lower extremities and close the space below the spacer block, the inclined wall portion constituting a wedging means for preventing downward movement of the tuft in the ferrule, thereby obviating the necessity of tuft securing fasteners.

3. In a brush the combination of a handle; a tuft of bristles intercemented at their butts; and a sheet metal ferrule applied about the lower end of said handle and the intercemented butts of said tuft, the lower portion of the ferrule displaced from the plane of the upper portion thereof to establish an outwardly extending shoulder extending circumferentially of the ferrule, as well as to establish a flat wall portion extending downwardly and inwardly from the outer extremity of the shoulder, said wall portion coextensive with and engaging the cemented butts of said tuft, the lower extremity of said wall portion extending slightly below the cemented portion of the bristles to exert an inward pressure against the outermost bristles, said tuft having an inward taper due to the pressure of the downwardly and inwardly directed ferrule wall portion to compact the lowermost free extremities of the bristles, said shoulder receiving thereagainst the upper extremity of the tuft to prevent upward movement thereof, and the inclination of the ferrule wall wedgingly holding the tuft against downward movement. k

4. In a brush the combination of a handle; a tuft of bristles intercemented at their butts; and a sheet metal ferrule joining said tuft to said handle, said ferrule deformed to establish an outwardly directed shoulder as well as a downwardly and inwardly inclined flat Wall portion joining said shoulder, which wall portion engages and is coextensive with the cemented butts of said tuft, said shoulder and wall portion to wedgingly hold said tuft against upward and downward movement in the ferrule, thereby obviating the necessity of tuft securing fasteners.

5. A brush comprising a handle, a tuft of bristles, and a ferrule, a side of the ferrule having a flat upper wall portion lying in one plane and a flat lower wall portion lying in a plane angularly disposed to the plane of the upper wall portion, said wall portions joined to form a substantial shoulder therebetween, the upper extremity of the lower wall portion being disposed farther from the axis of the brush than the lower extremity of said lower wall portion, the bristle butts cemented together and coextensive with the lower wall portion of the ferrule, the butt end of the tuft being in surface contact with the lower wall portion of the ferrule.

6. A brush comprising a handle, a tuft of bristles, and a ferrule, a side of the ferrule having a flat upper wall portion lying in one plane and a flat lower wall portion lying in a plane angularly disposed to the plane of the upper wall portion, said wall portions joined to form a substantial shoulder therebetween, the upper extremity of the lower wall portion being disposed farther from the axis of the brush than the lower extremity of said lower wall portion.

7. A brush ferrule, a side of the ferrule having a flat upper wall portion lying in one plane and a at lower wall portion lying in a plane angularly disposed to the plane of the upper wall portion, said wall portions joined to form a substantial shoulder therebetween, the upper extremity of the lower wall portion being disposed to one side of the plane of the upper wall portion.

HUGH P. MCMILLAN. 

